Sunday, September 6, 2009

7 Underground Wonders of the World

Labyrinths, Crypts, Catacombs and More



What motivates humankind to burrow deep into the Earth? From London to Paris, Budapest to Moscow, the USA to Australia, here are seven of the most amazing examples in the world. Some were built for military defense or shelter, many are abandoned while others thrive. These amazing images feature tunnels, caverns, labyrinths from seven underground location around the world, following the acclaimed 7 Underwater Wonders and 7 Abandoned Wonders of the World.






Paris, France: There are extensive networks of catacombs, quarries and other tunnels running under the capital of France. Some of these amazing photographs were taken by urban explorers who lit the scenes with candles, producing remarkable image effects. The other images show the work of Paris General of Police from the late 18th Century, when disease led the city to bury bones underground in unused quarries rather than risk further infection of the population.













Moscow, Russia: This particular photographer is uniquely privileged, as an official government photographer, to take rare looks and snapshots of the myriad tunnels of all kinds running underneath Moscow. Clearly he does a great deal of post-production work, giving these images an air of surreality. Still, they are incredibly impressive and show a compelling range of locations.










London, England: The West Norwood Cemetery has a remarkable collection of historic monuments. Even more fascinating, however, are the catacombs below the chapel on site. As these images show, there is a remarkable collection of coffins in spaces of various sizes. The mahogany coffins have largely survived the test of time, while the pine ones have not fared quite as well. All in all, a beautiful collection, and largely left to wear naturally with time.[/B]









Ozarks, Midwest The Ozark mountain range is filled with caverns and mines that date back generations. They are perhaps most famous for being the site where Radium was discovered shortly after radioactive elements were beginning to be understood in Europe. These more recent explorers featured here have certainly shown dedication, bringing along a raft to use flooded areas.







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